The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-02-02
NO. 27.
CURES BY llYPNOTISM.
TIE MARNELOUS WORK OF DOCTOR
CIARCOT, OF PARIS.

Nervous Diseases Controlled by Transmits
sion and the Aid of IL Magnet.
New York, january 9.-The Herald's
Parls correspondent sends the following
interview special:
DIR. Charcot said: "All sorts of cx-
"88crated accounts have appeared about
the experiments i'll transmission of
hypnotlsm. In fact, unless the public
are provided with precise information in
matters of scientific discovery, they
naturally mistake the North Pole for the
South Pole, and error and confusion be-
come widely disseminated"
"Will you give the Herald, l asked,
ga statement making clear to the public
mind the exact state OF medical science
concerning hypnotic discovcrics?"
Certainly" replied DR.. Charcot.
"lhesc experiments are conducted under
my general direction by DIR. Babinski.
This Is how DIR. Babinski carries them
on: The subjects are seated back to back
and magnet is held to the side of one
OF them. 1t Is not necessary that there
should be actual contact between the
subjects, but if there is the transmission
IS more rapid than when they are at
distance from one another.
TRIAL OF GIRL PATIENTS.
"Ihe experiments Of DR.. Babinski
must be divided into several categories.
10 the first category belong experiments
made on two young girls who suffered
rom hysstcrical epilepsy and exhibited
all the phenomena OF extreme hypnotism
as they have been described my me.
lhc patients werctirst hypnotizGd Then
Dr. Babnski produced, first in one and
tHen IN the other, different apparent
! hyStcncal symptoms of paralysis of the
arm and of the leg, coxalgia, dumbness.
etc. The patient thus attacked by an
artificial hystcrical affection is brought
into rapport with his companion, near
whom the magnet has been placed. In
n few moments Il transfer takes place.
the symptoms disappear in No patient
and rcnppc&r at tNc same instant i'll No.
=. They pass thus from one to the
other. Moreover, it is easy, by sug-
gcston, to rid No. patient of the affec-
ton.
HOW MALADIES MAY BE CURED.
"In second category of experiments
NJ. Balinski took male or female patients
presenting different phases of hysteria,
not aartiticialiy induced i'll this case, but
manifested spontaneously that is to
say, Independently OF all suggestion
such, i'll fact, as to lead to the admission
OF the patients i'll question into the hos
pltnl. lie then placed them in rapport
with one or the other of the subjects of
experiment referred to above. These he
hypnotlzed prchminarily, and at their
side put the magnet. The hypnotized
subject thcrcupon at once displayed the
same manifestations of hystcrla as those
of the patient ut whose side he had been
placed. But the latter retained his
maIady ut the end of the experiment.
"M. Rakinski then, by suggestion, re-
licvcs the hypnotizcd 81 bjcct of the
affection that has bcun transmitted to
INN, and resumes the experiment. BY
repeating the mancuVre Il number Of
times more or less considerable he has
succeeded i'll several cases in bringing
about an attenuation and even complete
cure OF the maludy."
OTHER CASES or SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT.
'icrc, for instance, are few of the
observations made by NJ. Bakinski: In
two cases he obtained a complete cure
OF hyStcrlc dumbncSs; one of them was
of eight days and the other of two
months standing. He succeeded in
causing the disappearance in few days
OF hystcric paralysis in the right side of
the body OF years standing. In a
quarter of an hour and after four success
Slvc experiments he cured case of
hcmlpIcgy that had arisen ten hours
previously. The attempt must be the
oftcncr repeated the older the affection
happens to be.
"In a third category of experiments
NJ Baklnskl obtained the transmission
to hypnoti2cd subject of certain phe-
nomcna associated with organic allec-
tons OF the nervous system, such as
softcning of the brain and cerebral
hcmtanthropiu III chilGren These last
experiments yet needed completing.
NJ. cm\RcoT's CONCLUSIONS.
"Iho different experiments here dis
cusscd Will be seen to have interest for
psychology on the one hand and for
therapeutics on the other. But M.
BakinsN thinks that they are not vet
numerous enough to make possible the
construction Of any theory on the sub
jcct, and 1t is his intention to continue
hls researches. In the present state Of
science it is impossible to explain in any
way the mechanism of the transmission
In question from one subject to another.
But what of that? Facts must always
be accepted when they are vigorously
observed, even if their inner meaning be
unintclligblc. Now, as the facts stated
above have been ascertaincd with all the
method and vigor that ought to be en-
ploycd in scientific researches; as every
cause OF notably, the possibility
of prctense-has been carefully avoided,
NJ. Bakinsk has deemed it his duty
from tots moment to make such sacts
known to the medical public"